5 Badass Bugs—Scariest Insects on Earth

There are over a quintillion insects on this planet, it is believed. That's 10,000,000,000,000,000,000! Or 1.5 billion bugs for every one of us. Thank god they're too pathetic and weak to take us on and wipe us out. Or are they..

This is a list of the 5 most deadly insects on earth. Some are as you may expect, but others you may never even have heard of.

Plush Moth | Source

Source

The Africanized Bee

Also lovingly known as 'killer bees' they are a hybrid of the Western honey bee species. These were created by cross breeding the African honey bee with the European honey bee. The bees are far more defensive than any of the European subspecies and that's what makes them so scary. Lets put it this way:

You can stand close to a common European honey bee nest for 9 seconds before they will attack. This is because they have deemed you as a threat and will chase you for just over 300 yards. Not really an issue to you, and you're easily able to avoid the bees.

However Africanzied Bees act a little differently. They will give you approximately 1/2 a second in order to be deemed a threat, and will attack in very large quantities, often the entire hive. The torture doesn't end there though. Oh no. The bees will chase you for just shy of half a mile.

As you can see, these guys aren't to be messed with.

When Killer Bees Attack

Brazilian Wandering Spider showing fangs when provoked | Source

Brazilian Wandering Spider

Crowned by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most venomous spider, it is responsible for hospitalising 7000 people in Brazil during 1970-1980. The deadly spiders produce neurotoxin similar to that produced by the Black Widow Spider. The effects of the venom include pain, cold sweats and an irregular heartbeat.

The spider stands on its back legs when provoked, presenting its fangs to the attacker as a warning sign (see picture).

Source

Giant Japanese Hornet or Asian Hornet

The Giant Japanese Hornet is 2 inches long. That's right. It also has a wingspan of over 3 inches too. That's Badass. You've most likely seen the viral YouTube video on them wiping out an entire honey bee hive, but I'll include the link below. This is some real scary stuff, and an even scarier fact is that Giant Japanese Hornets are responsible for more deaths than all other venomous and non venomous animals combined in Japan each year.

Also, as mentioned earlier about the distance the Killer bees and honey bees chase you, the Giant Japanese Hornet will chase you for over three miles.

Damn nature, you scary

African Assassin Bug

An interestingly scary name for an interesting looking creature. They are vividly coloured and are said to have venom that is 10 times more deadly that a cobra's. They have the ability to spit or inject the venom. Thankfully the venom isn't enough to kill one human, but being bitten by one can still cause you issues.

The venom the African Assassin Bug injects will liquefy the insides of the prey, which is then sucked out by the bug's 'proboscis'. They hunt by coving themselves with the dead bodies of previous victims, and if that wasn't crazy enough, some people even keep them as pets!

Source

Tsetse Fly

These critters are found only in Africa, and look very similar to common houseflies. They are, however, far more deadly. The flies are hosts of a disease that affects the human nervous system called the sleeping sickness disease. The first symptoms are flu, then a coma due, followed by an untimely death. Roughly 250-300 are killed each year through this disease. Even something as innocent and pathetic looking as a fly can kill creatures many times its size. Very scary indeed. If that isn't enough to give you nightmares, I don't know what is.

I hope that this article hasn't caused you too much distress. For those living in Europe or America, many of these bugs aren't in existence near you, so sleep well in the knowledge that you're not going to wake up covered in Killer Bees, or with your flesh dissolved by the venom of the Giant Japanese Hornet.

Comments

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sending

Sarah

5 years ago

I loved this article! We sent my 4 year old son in to the back yard last night with his new "bug catching kid" thinking he'll come back with a ladybug or a rolly polly, maybe even a butterfly. What does he come back with? An assassin bug. I'd never even heard of them!

Sinclair Miller III

6 years agofrom Florida

Don't mess with mother nature or you will feel its wrath both figuratively and literally.

Melissa A Smith

6 years agofrom New York

CUTEST insects on Earth is more like it!

Michelle Dee

6 years agofrom Charlotte, NC

I googled plush moth and can't find anything, but I did run into this moth website that has some really cool photos of spectacular moths:

That was an example of one of the quintillion amazing insects out there! I will hopefully be doing an article on the Plush Moth soon. They are very interesting creatures, bordering the line between cute and creepy.

Michelle Dee

6 years agofrom Charlotte, NC

So what does the Plush Moth do? That is one very interesting looking insert for sure. It almost looks like a mammal.

AUTHOR

John Smith

6 years agofrom London

I believe that it's the honey bee that dies after it stings someone. Wasps however can continue stinging due to the shape of the stinger. Rather annoying really! You grandpa is a funny man! :

dailytop10

6 years agofrom Davao City

I have a bad experience about wasps when I was just a kid. Is it true that they die after stinging someone? That's what my granpa said. He even compared them to Japanese pilots during the world war who are known for their kamikaze attack.

AUTHOR

John Smith

6 years agofrom London

Wasps are the worst in my opinion! All they do is sting you and nothing else! Thank you very much for taking your time to read and comment!

dailytop10

6 years agofrom Davao City

I hate bugs. I know they play a vital role in our ecosystem but I just don't like them. They're not only creepy but often dangerous as well. Thank you for sharing this very informative hub. Have a nice day!

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